Where Martinelli fits in Inzaghi’s changing Al Hilal attack

Gabriel Martinelli’s first training session at Al Hilal came with little time to settle before the next match. His transfer from Arsenal was confirmed on Thursday, September 3, and the club expected him to join the group that evening before Friday’s trip to Al Shabab. Whether he is involved immediately or introduced more gradually, he is arriving in an attack that has already made a convincing start to the season.

Al Hilal have won their opening four league games and scored fifteen goals. Their latest victory, over Al Ahli, brought goals from Sergej Milinkovic Savic, Crysencio Summerville and another new arrival, Ollie Watkins. There is no failing attack for Martinelli to rescue. The more interesting task is finding a place for his qualities alongside players who have already shown they can make this side productive.

Watkins’ debut offered a useful example of how quickly an addition can contribute. Introduced for the second half against Al Ahli, he headed in Sultan Mandash’s cross near the end to complete a win by three goals. Summerville had already scored before the interval. For Inzaghi, that is an encouraging starting point, although a goal from each new forward does not resolve every decision about how they should play together.

Martinelli brings a particular kind of movement. At Arsenal, his pace often made him dangerous when he could begin outside a defender and run towards goal as the pass was played. Tracking from the 2024/25 Premier League season recorded 166 runs behind the opposition defence, more than any teammate, as well as 85 recovery runs, the most among Arsenal’s forwards. The figures give some substance to a reputation built as much on work without the ball as on what he does after receiving it.

That is useful for Al Hilal’s midfield. Ruben Neves and Milinkovic Savic can look for a runner beyond the defence as well as someone coming towards them to receive. Watkins offers movement of his own, which could create opportunities for Martinelli if the two coordinate their runs. One forward drawing a centre back towards the ball may leave room for another to attack behind him. If they make the same movement at the same time, that advantage can be lost.

The left side will need particular attention. Martinelli and Summerville have both done much of their work from that flank, while Theo Hernandez’s attacking runs usually offer another source of width. Inzaghi can use that overlap to create different passing routes, but only if someone continues to provide an option outside when a winger moves infield. Otherwise, an attack with several talented forwards can become easier to crowd into a narrow area.

Hernandez will not be available to help establish those relationships immediately. Al Hilal said on September 3 that he needed approximately four weeks of treatment and rehabilitation, while Ali Lajami required three weeks. Those absences affect more than the selection of defenders. A replacement on the left may advance differently, which could change where Martinelli is asked to receive and how much freedom he has to move towards the centre.

The recent starting lineups also suggest there is room to be cautious about treating Inzaghi’s familiar back three as a fixed plan. Against Al Ahli, the personnel gave Al Hilal several ways to arrange the players behind Mohammed Meite, with Summerville and Mandash supporting the attack. Martinelli’s arrival adds another option to that group. The formation named before a match will be less revealing than which players provide width and which are allowed to move beyond the striker once possession develops.

Summerville’s successful start makes the selection question more interesting. Moving him simply to accommodate a new signing could alter something that is already working. Inzaghi may instead use different combinations across matches, or change positions during a game as the opposition adjusts. Martinelli and Summerville do not have to be identical players to compete for similar starting areas, and there will be evenings when one combination is better suited to the available space than another.

There is also the returning influence of Salem Al Dawsari to consider over the season. The captain’s place in Al Hilal’s attack has been established across many more matches than the newcomers have played. Adding options should allow the coach to distribute responsibility and respond to different opponents. It need not mean putting every prominent attacker into the same lineup, particularly if doing so leaves the midfield or the flanks short of support.

Martinelli’s work when possession is lost will be part of that decision. His willingness to recover was evident in the Arsenal tracking, but effort must be coordinated with the players around him. If he moves forward to challenge an opponent, the next pass has to be considered by those behind him. Recovery speed is valuable after a turnover; an organised response can reduce how often it has to be used to repair an exposed position.

Friday may offer only an initial glimpse. Martinelli has had little training time with his new teammates, and Watkins’ introduction from the bench shows there is a straightforward way to involve a recent arrival without asking him to carry the whole game. The useful signs will be the timing of his runs, the passes he receives and how readily the other forwards respond to his movement. Al Hilal have already found goals from several places. Martinelli’s next task is to help those opportunities become more frequent without disturbing the understanding that has produced them.